On Why I Sometimes Love Cheap Things
These kinda look like a pair of shoes made by Mark McNairy. They are even made in the USA, and feature McNairy’s favorite method of construction, the goodyear welt. The big difference is obviously that the company that makes these (Walk-Over) is the cliched “solid but irrelevant brand” that attempts to reinvigorate itself with a slick look book and a boring and contrived website. McNairy never has this pretension, he’s just some guy who loves shoes and streetwear, and not a bunch of rich kids who pump money into a dead brand name. (In this case it’s a corporate conglomerate owned by Berkshire Hathaway by the unassuming name of H.H. Brown Shoe Company). But, I digress. These shoes are only $129 at Gilt right now and though I can’t testify for the quality of the leathers used, the general aesthetic and construction are actually on point. I’m also a fan of the Made in USA label. For a $100 pair of blueberry derbies with a contrast sole, I don’t think you could do much better. If this trend of colored soles plays itself out (doubtful in at least the next few seasons), you can always resole them with some red bricks or a lugged sole(thanks to the Goodyear Welt) and still have some fancy blue suede shoes.
EDIT: Apparently Mark actually designed these for Walk Over. I’m not surprised he chose not to tie his name in with branding, but I still dig the shoes even if I’m not crazy about who is behind the company pushing them. At the end of the day it’s just a label.
